The cabinet of DPRK(North Korea) visited Moscow of Soviet Union, climbing stairs with Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union in March 1949. From left to right, Park Hon-yong, Choe Yong-jun, Hong Myong-hee, Kim Il-sung.

In 1953, Choe was promoted to Vice Marshal and was made the Minister of Defence.[1] In September 1957, he was removed from his position as Minister of National Defense and made the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, a largely ceremonial position.[1] In this post, he was North Korea's nominal head of state. He retired in 1972 and died in Pyongyang in 1976.

In his memoirs, a former chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly who defected said Choe was famous for being very hard to have close relations with, but in reality he was not that strict.[2]